766 replies to this topic

[steve6375]

Please note: The RMPrepUSB website and downloads are at www.rmprepusb.com
New: v2.1.653 (2012-12-18) allows you to access any one of four primary partitions on a flash drive in Windows

Note: See end of this post for download

RMPrepUSB is similar to the HP Format utility, but much more flexible and should be better at creating a USB Flash memory drive that will boot on most systems successfully. See below for details of these utilities. It is mainly a 'roll-you-own' tool for people who want to make or modify a multiboot/multipass USB drive. Over 14 languages are supported. See here for more details or watch some YouTube Videos.

What are the utilities?
RMPrepUSB's main components are RMPrepUSB.exe and RMPartUSB.exe.

RMPartUSB.exe - a command line Windows app used by RMPrepUSB - allows you to partition and format any USB storage device as FAT16, FAT32 or NTFS from Windows XP,2K3,Vista,Win7,2K8. Can be used in scripts/batch files.

RMPrepUSB.exe - a user friendly front-end Windows x86 (32-bit, 64-bit compatible) GUI for the command line tool RMPartUSB.exe. When you set the options in RMPrepUSb and click the Prepare Drive button, it will display the command line that it is going to use to run RMPartUSB and then run RMPartUSB. If you have selected a folder, it will then copy the entire contents of that folder over to the new partition when RMPartUSB has finished formatting the USB Flash Drive (UFD). You can then use the Eject button and disconnect the UFD when you have finished.

Details on RMPartUSB and RMPrepUSB





RMPrepUSB calls RMPartUSB which makes a single user partition of any size and is primarily intended for USB Flash Drive (UFD) memory sticks although it can be used on USB hard drives to create a single partition. The utility also places boot code on the USB device for either XP/WinPEv1 (ntldr), Vista/WinPEv2/Win7 (bootmgr), MS-DOS (io.sys) or FreeDos (kernel.sys). RMPartUSB does not place any files on the UFD - you must copy these over yourself or set the option in RMPrepUSB to copy over the contents of a folder of your choice.

There are some options that allow the UFD to boot either as a super-floppy (ZIP) drive or a Fixed disk (HDD). Thus DOS or FreeDos can boot from a UFD as either the A: drive or the C: drive depending on how you partition and format it using the options available (and if your BIOS supports booting as Floppy or ZIP).

Please visit the home website for over 80 tutorials.

 

RMPrepUSB and RMPartUSB are free for private use only for anyone. Commercial use however is forbidden and you need to contact RM for licensing costs if you wish to use it or re-distribute it as part of a commercial solution - contact support@rm.com and ask for Classroom Technolgies - RMPrepUSB licensing department.

DOWNLOAD

Visit www.rmprepusb.com Beta Downloads page for latest version (recommended)

 

Version 2.1.648 is available here
For users who have Google sites blocked by their ISP, download v2.1.620 from MediaFire here.

RMPrepUSB Version History

[wimb]

I have uploaded current version RMPrepUSB v1.8.

I am NOT able to use the program.

It is NOT a GUI but trying from cmd window the simple

RMPARTUSB LIST

almost freezes my system (68% cpu) with NO further result.

[steve6375]

re. RMPREPUSB

I have tested this on XP and Vista systems (not Server 2003).

RMPrepUSB is a GUI which calls RMPartUSB. You must have the vb6 dll in the same folder (or in system32).

Sorry it is not working for you.

Steve

[was_jaclaz]

re. RMPREPUSB

I have tested this on XP and Vista systems (not Server 2003).

RMPrepUSB is a GUI which calls RMPartUSB. You must have the vb6 dll in the same folder (or in system32).

Sorry it is not working for you.

Steve

On my XP (Italian) a further file is required VB6IT.DLL, but still in depends.exe it stops here:

LoadLibraryA("kernel32") returned 0x7C800000.

GetProcAddress(0x7C800000 [KERNEL32.DLL], "CloseHandle") called from "MSVBVM60.DLL" at address 0x6600A0D8 and returned 0x7C809B77.

In task manager, it uses 50% of CPU cycles and does nothing.

RMPARTUSB.EXE LIST as well lists correctly my stick (as E:) then freezes with 50% CPU.

LoadLibraryA("kernel32") returned 0x7C800000.

GetProcAddress(0x7C800000 [KERNEL32.DLL], "CloseHandle") called from "MSVBVM60.DLL" at address 0x6600A0D8 and returned 0x7C809B77.

jaclaz

[steve6375]

This is strange - I assume we are all using 32-bit versions of OS?

It also works under WinPE (32-bit) with no extra files needed.

[steve6375]

Try renaming my dll so system will use your one which may already be present.

[was_jaclaz]

This is strange - I assume we are all using 32-bit versions of OS?

It also works under WinPE (32-bit) with no extra files needed.

Maybe there is something with non-English versions.

When I check dependencies, VB6IT.DLL is NOT shown, but as soon as I start profiling the app, it comes out as needed.

There is also an unresolved (on my system) dependency on MSJAVA.DLL, but that is quite common and usually it is a "false alarm".

jaclaz

[wimb]

Try renaming my dll so system will use your one which may already be present.

Did NOT work.

My msvbvm60.dll is from 14-04-2008 (XP-SP3 32bits)
Yours is 23-02-2004

[steve6375]

AS it runs under WinPE, I don't see that any extra files should be needed, but you could try the vb6 run pack
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290887

[wimb]

Did NOT work

Do you have Internal cardreader ?

I have for cardreader 4 empty removable drives,
may be this is the problem ....

[allanf]

AS it runs under WinPE, I don't see that any extra files should be needed, but you could try the vb6 run pack
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290887

It starts in WinPE 2.1 (Vista SP1). However, it needs the at least one of the following - vbrun60sp6, HTA, XML, MDAC, WMI. I haven't narrowed down the minimum requirements, but without these, same results as the others.



Regards

[steve6375]

Yes, sorry - my bad, my WinPE has HTA, XML and WMI. I think it will need WMI only. The only vb component should be either in WinPE already or use the dll I enclosed in the ZIP file.

S

[allanf]

Yes, sorry - my bad, my WinPE has HTA, XML and WMI. I think it will need WMI only. The only vb component should be either in WinPE already or use the dll I enclosed in the ZIP file.

S

First test was with the whole .zip extracted to mounted winpe.wim image. Only other packages were HTA and Scripting. Your program hung. I'll go through the packages and see. The vbrun can be installed into the online WinPE. Give me a moment.

[allanf]

Yes, sorry - my bad, my WinPE has HTA, XML and WMI. I think it will need WMI only. The only vb component should be either in WinPE already or use the dll I enclosed in the ZIP file.

S

Yep. WMI minimum requirement. Nothing else. That's to start it. Haven't tried anythin else.

Unbootably yours

[wimb]

@steve6375
It seems that your App does NOT allow to make NTFS Formatted USB-stick, which is by far preferred for Install of XP from USB, because FAT32 is very, very slow in this case.

It is pity that the program does NOT Run on regular XP
allthough this can probably be solved by install of WMI.

[steve6375]

Hi
It does not format as NTFS although I could add this. This was not a requirement at the time.

It does work on a fresh install of XP and Vista and WinPE with WMI component added.

S

[was_jaclaz]

I think that something else might be the culprit.

AFAIK I have WMI running allright, or at leat WMIC works on my machine.

jaclaz

[steve6375]

@jaclaz
if you try FIND command in a shell window it should return something like


SET DRIVE=1
SET DRIVEDESC=LEXAR JD FIREFLY USB Device
SET DRIVESIZE=4026531328
SET DRIVELETTER=J:

I have tested it on an XP SP2 notebook with a card reader and it works OK. It is a shame it does not work on your system. I can make a special version with debug messages if you like?
S

[was_jaclaz]

@jaclaz
if you try FIND command in a shell window it should return something like


SET DRIVE=1
SET DRIVEDESC=LEXAR JD FIREFLY USB Device
SET DRIVESIZE=4026531328
SET DRIVELETTER=J:

I have tested it on an XP SP2 notebook with a card reader and it works OK. It is a shame it does not work on your system. I can make a special version with debug messages if you like?
S

The culprit is the internal ( USB connected) multicard reader.

By selecting it in "Safely remove" (but of course without physically removing it), I get a Code47 error in Device Manager for it, but then the app starts allright.

Most probably you use a method for interrogating the USB bus that is not compatible with the common situation for multicard readers , i.e.:

• having a letter assigned
• not having media in it

So it is really a non-problem, though of course will force me to a re-boot to reenable the multicard reader.

It would be nice if you could check if there is an alternate "compatible" way to interrogate the bus.



jaclaz

[steve6375]

@wimb
re. no NTFS format - you can always use the XP Convert command to convert the UFD to NTFS (though it takes a while).

[wimb]

@steve6375
Good idea, convert can be used in XP environment and it allows to change FAT32 into NTFS FileSystem.

Convert applied direct after formatting with FAT32 takes only 15 seconds to change your USB-stick so that it has NTFS FileSystem

[steve6375]

@jaclaz
re. RMPrepUSB - I have found the problem - it is with empty USB storage devices such as card readers as you found (wmi goes into endless loop when looking for device capabilities). Now fixed in new version.

[wimb]

Attached file for new version.

Where is Attachment .... ?

[ireneuszp]

@steve6375
Can you make for RMBootSect some GUI?

[steve6375]

I will leave that task for you or someone else.
The command line is pretty easy so just make a .cmd text file with the command in it.

You can use
rmpartusb find > USB.CMD
call USB.CMD
then use environment variables to find which drive letter it has


P.S. If you use Convert to format at NTFS you will need to run RMBootSect to change the boot sector. Convert running under XP will leave an NTLDR boot sector and Convert under WinPE 2/Vista will leave a BOOTMGR boot sector.

So if running under XP use BOOTSECT F: (where F: is your USB drive)

BE CAREFULL !!! DO NOT SPECIFY YOU C: DRIVE EVER !!!!!


have fun

Steve